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Tamyra Mensah-Stock Becomes the First U.S. Black Woman to Win Olympic Gold in Wrestling

Tamyra Mensah-Stock made history at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics!

On Tuesday (August 3), the 28-year-old wrestler became the first ever U.S. Black woman to win Olympic gold in the sport of wrestling, and is also only the second woman ever to win gold.

In the women’s freestyle 68kg wrestling final, Mensah-Stock defeated Nigerian wrestler Blessing Oborududu in a hard fought match. The final score tallied up to 4-1.

Despite the loss, Oborududu walked away from the games with a groundbreaking achievement as well. She became the first Nigerian to win an Olympic medal in wrestling. According to Premium Times, the Nigerian government awarded both her and long jump athlete Ese Brume cash rewards for the medals they earned.

United States Tamyra Mensah-Stock, left, and compete Nigeria’s Blessing Oborududu during the women’s 68kg Freestyle wrestling bronze medal match at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, in Chiba, Japan. (Photo Credit: AP/Aaron Favila)

In an emotional interview after the match, Mensah-Stock draped herself in an American flag as she spoke about her win. She reflected on her journey from becoming a wrestler in the tenth grade to becoming an Olympic gold medalist. “I knew I could do it when I first started wrestling. I felt that I could be an Olympic champ, so I kept going — I did it,” she tearfully said.

When asked about her trailblazing achievements, she excitedly cheered and jumped up and down. On what it means for the future of wrestling and for young girls watching, she said, “It means that they see someone like themselves on that podium — someone like Helen Maroulis (U.S. wrestler) — on that podium showing them just because you’re a female, it doesn’t mean you can’t accomplish the BIGGEST of goals.”

What do you think about Tamyra Mensah-Stock’s major win? Let us know by leaving a reaction down below or sending us a tweet @celebsecrets!

Author

  • Courtney Agustin

    Courtney (she/her) is a media intern at Celeb Secrets. She is currently working on her Communications degree at California State University, Fullerton. When not reporting on the latest entertainment news, she enjoys going to concerts, watching movies and television shows, and spending time with her family.

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Courtney (she/her) is a media intern at Celeb Secrets. She is currently working on her Communications degree at California State University, Fullerton. When not reporting on the latest entertainment news, she enjoys going to concerts, watching movies and…

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